Kate Moynihan, Executive Director and CEO, Seva Foundation

Could you please introduce yourself with your name and position?

I’m Kate Moynihan, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Seva Foundation.

What are the key factors behind Seva Foundation’s longstanding success in delivering eye care services globally? What makes your work effective year after year?

I think what makes us successful is really a combination of what I call the logic and the heart—the heart and the mind. It’s a combination of evidence-based programs, really strong partnerships and a profound respect for local cultures and communities. And we’ve been doing this for nearly 50 years. So, I feel that it’s that combination of wonderful world-class science and a sincere commitment to the dignity of people.

What is Seva Foundation’s main focus today? What are your key programs?

We’ve talked about the left and the right brain—science and the compassion for humanity. That combination has positioned us as innovators. What we’ve done over the years is really push boundaries to eliminate avoidable blindness. So, we think that this blend of technical excellence and cultural humility really has an impact. 

Our core focus is really on the systems that reach people, and we have ways of measuring how well we’re doing through cataract services or eye care for children. We’re interested in disrupting the barriers that prevent marginalized communities from receiving world-class care. 

We’re also very interested in technology. We do training and capacity building, and we even have a proof point in Guatemala in terms of ending avoidable blindness within a five- to six-year period. 

And I think the last element is that we’ve learned a lot from our partnerships in Nepal, Cambodia, and India. So, I think it’s really that rolling opportunity to learn, bring people together and then measure the elements of our work to prove that people are getting the care they need.

How does Seva Foundation position itself in the global public health and non-profit landscape, and what makes its approach unique?

Let’s go back to the left and right brain, or the heart and the mind. With that comes the ability to measure. First of all, in our community, we’re recognized as a pioneer. Our peers, and I say this cautiously but truthfully, see us as leaders. We’ve been doing this since early on. The whole industry got started because of a comprehensive epidemiological study we conducted with the WHO and the Dutch government back in the early 1980s. We’ve always had a long-term view of the world and a strong belief that local communities are able to solve their own problems. We help unlock that excellence, share knowledge, and learn from it ourselves. 

What sets us apart is that we’re delivering extraordinary services that help millions of people a year. These are the kinds of what I call “forever gifts”—transformational services that allow a child to see the blackboard or a grandmother to see the face of her daughter again. We deliver scientifically-based, quality and safe services. 

And more recently, we’ve been able to show that there’s also an economic benefit. For every $1 invested in eye care, a community receives $36 in social benefits back. That’s a tremendous return, right? It sounds strange to talk about it in these terms, because this is a health intervention. But there’s the human dignity aspect, which is very important, and there’s also the healthcare aspect. We know that for early eye care, especially for children, a child who receives a pair of glasses will earn 78 percent more over their lifetime than a peer who did not get glasses or have their vision addressed. 

These are anchor statistical and financial pieces of information that further sharpen our resolve to end avoidable blindness within our lifetime. It’s not only a health issue we can solve, but a health issue that money can solve. And we can prove that it’s beneficial to the individual, and also really beneficial to the communities they live in, financially.

How has Seva Foundation expanded its reach and impact over the years, both geographically and through the evolution of its eye care programs?

Let me start by talking about the strong partnerships we have with organizations like the World Health Organization, as well as Ministries of Health. But what really makes us stand out is that for nearly 50 years, we’ve built these locally based networks. After working with them for about three years, elements of their work have become financially sustainable. We began focusing on Nepal and India, and it’s grown to more than 20 countries across Asia, Africa and Latin America. It’s been driven by these relationships and a shared commitment to eliminating avoidable blindness. I notice an evolution in both the scope and sophistication of the kinds of interventions we support and help design.

How does Seva Foundation engage with donors, local communities and international partners to deliver its mission and expand its impact?

Our mission is really made possible because of the vibrant community of supporters and collaborators we have. One thing I’d like to point out when I talked about the scope and sophistication is that we’ve layered in things like telemedicine, which allows images to be sent to a doctor who can provide medical advice. We are also trying to ethically and responsibly engage with artificial intelligence that will help with screening and determining the kind of care someone might need. 

Our donor base is really important, and we’re very transparent with them. We have strong ratings here in the United States and are accredited by the Better Business Bureau, Charity Navigator, and GuideStar. We value that third-party verification because it shows that we are transparent with our data and committed to sharing compelling stories about the people whose lives have been transformed. 

When it comes to partnerships, we’re not just focused on trust but also mutual learning. We prioritize listening to community needs, co-designing solutions, and ensuring they are culturally appropriate and sustainable. We train and hire from the community, working with local professionals. We help train mid-level individuals who maximize the effectiveness of ophthalmologists, ensuring care is delivered by trusted individuals who are also contributing to strengthening the local economy.

What’s the main message you would like to share with the community and readers about Seva Foundation?

The number one thing I want people to understand is that what we are trying to do is an achievable goal. We’re in a world where some issues require a lot of changes for success, but this is one issue can be solved. There are 1.1 billion people in the world with some form of vision loss, and 90 percent of them can see again. We don’t need to invent anything new to make this happen. It’s a problem that’s already solvable. 

Seva has found ways to work through and with local organizations to provide care, and we can prove it. It’s not a pipe dream. We can prove it on a personal level, community level, financially, scientifically and medically. It’s one of the few things in the world that, with enough support, can make a real difference. If we rally support, we can make a substantial impact and reduce poverty in the world.

Is there anything else you want to add?

We serve approximately 7 million people a year through our partnered network, and that effort provides them with a “forever gift”—the ability to see when they couldn’t see 15 minutes ago, or when they couldn’t see before they got their pair of glasses or treatment. Over time, that’s about 64 million people. Then you think about the girl who can’t go to school or help her grandmother do the shopping—now she can go back to school. We have that kind of multiplier effect, that kind of extension. 

I’m really energized by this idea that, for $6, a child can be screened and given a pair of glasses. For $50, someone can have cataract surgery that takes just 15 minutes. Sharing such statistics can get people excited and energized around the idea that if this were supported worldwide, we might not solve every problem, but we know for a fact we can solve this particular problem. And that’s a really hopeful thing to be a part of. My staff is very proud of that, and our partners are really proud of that.

I think it’s really an issue that money can solve. There’s a worldwide network that’s poised and ready to run that investment to make sure that the men, women and kids in their community can see.